the opposition demands that the event be maintained in 2022
The news is controversial. The Toulouse Métropole marathon is suspended for at least the next two years. On the side of elected representatives of the opposition, the pill does not pass. In an open letter addressed to the mayor and president of Toulouse Métropole, Jean-Luc Moudenc, the opposition group Métropole Écologiste et Citoyenne pour des Territoires Solidaires (MECTS) is indignant at this decision. In particular, he asks for the maintenance of the event in 2022.
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The opposition “shocked” by this decision
As a reminder, Toulouse Métropole announced earlier this week the deletion of the 2022 and 2023 editions. He spoke of a problematic and overly meaningful organization. The MECTS opposition group says it is “shocked” by this announcement. Especially since it occurred the day after the municipal and metropolitan councils, “where you could have informed us of your choice,” he lamented. And to add: “Moreover, this abandonment could have been mentioned at the last meeting of the Sports and leisure bases commission”.
Recalling that residents have suffered from a lack of physical activity attracted by the pandemic, opposition officials believe that this decision is particularly regrettable. “At a time when France is preparing to deal with sports with the 2024 Olympics as its horizon, it is incomprehensible to abandon one of our own and rare major events, which brought together both professional and amateur sportsmen and women”, they are indignant.
A faulty organization?
After recalling the enthusiasm that this marathon aroused for the city and its inhabitants, the protesters attack one of the arguments launched by the metropolis. According to the latter, the development of the event had been made more complicated after the French Athletics Federation (FFA), in charge of the organization, suddenly withdrew in 2019. The Metropolis then took up the torch along the way to save this last edition, before throwing in the towel in turn. For the opposition, the difficulties encountered in 2019 are not linked to a structural defect, but to a faulty management.
She adds: “It should be noted that the FFA had asked you upstream to adjust the contract which bound it to our community, but it seems that the discussions could not be concluded.” While the metropolis mentions budgetary reasons, the opposition believes that “the financial argument invoked, in part based on a very specific edition (2019), seems weak and not reassuring to us as to the financial capacities of the metropolis”. As a reminder, the community deplored a loss of 400,000 euros in a single edition. And the opposition elected officials replied: “€ 400,000 in equity does not seem to us to be an insurmountable amount to keep such a popular sporting event”.
Towards a “lighter” edition in 2022?
To save the 2022 edition, the opposition relies on the example of Bordeaux and Montpellier. These cities have planned to organize their marathon in the spring of 2022. Comparing their situation with that of Toulouse, the opposition group is indignant “that the 4th largest city in France is not committed to their level”.
Thus, they ask Jean-Luc Moudenc to “reconsider his decision to take over its organization, by entering the 2022 budget funding“. In addition, the elected representatives of the opposition suggesting the organization ofa more alleged ordeal “by keeping for this test year only the marathon and the relay marathon”. An alternative which, according to them, “was already very successful before 2017 and will perhaps allow costs to be better controlled”.